Longline fishing

Longlining is an English name for line fishing. Longlining is a very old fishing technique, mainly used in the waters around Scotland, England and Ireland and further north near Norway. By great exception, English fishermen also use it in the North Sea.

Line fishing targets shark, ling, skate, conger eel, cod and halibut, among others. The haddock, skrei cod and halibut offered by Schmidt Zeevis are line caught.

Fishing technique
Using the fishing technique longlining, fish are caught by means of hooks and lines. The fish eat the bait attached to the hook and then cling to the hook. After some time, the lines with the caught fish are taken on board.

Longlining is applied in different ways. For example with the hook and bait attached on the bottom, suspended above the bottom or floating. The type of fish caught depends on the location of the bait and the size of the hook. The bigger the hook, the bigger the fish caught. Longlining can be practised all year round and 24 hours a day. The technique is very labour-intensive, despite automation. The number of hooks on the line is high and each hook must be baited. A vessel can shoot out about 25,000 to 40,000 hooks per day, depending on the size of the vessel and lines.

Photo: © Ecomare, Oscar Bos